Syracuse senior Gerry McNamara lay on the floor near the scorer’s table holding his upper right leg. McNamara gritted his teeth and rocked back and forth, done for the game.

The injury put SU down for the count, right?

Hardly. With McNamara in the locker room nursing his injury, the Orange went on a 12-3 run and ultimately defeated Rutgers on Wednesday, 86-84, snapping a four-game losing streak. Largely without its star player, Syracuse excelled.

‘I feel alright,’ McNamara said. ‘A little tight. It’s probably the worst I’ve gotten these before. I got hit pretty good. It hurt, but I wanted to play. I think I would’ve done more damage to the leg and the team than I would’ve helped.’

McNamara called the injury a Charlie horse, a painful muscle cramp in the leg. He has suffered them before in games, but McNamara called this one the deepest and most painful one of his career. He anticipates returning for SU’s next game on Wednesday at Connecticut.

Even before the injury, McNamara wasn’t having a great day. He seemed hesitant to shoot by not attempting any 3-pointers and making only three field goals. He ended the night with two points, a career low. He had no assists and only one rebound. He also played a career-low 15 minutes. In fact, SU may have played its most inspired basketball in a month, largely with McNamara sidelined.

It was only the second time in McNamara’s career he played less than 20 minutes. He played 19 minutes against Northern Colorado last year, in a game the Orange led by 30 at halftime and won, 104-54.

The guard was back on the bench in the second half, wearing his warm-ups and a pained look. Whenever there was a timeout, McNamara gingerly limped to the team huddle. He dutifully carried a bag of ice in tow.

Rutgers had no one to key on after McNamara, the main focus of the Scarlet Knights’ game plan, left the game. SU opened the second half with a 10-1 run, and it became apparent that without McNamara in the game, Rutgers’ defensive scheme suffered.

‘It’s tough to sit out any game, especially when you’re trying to get back in the winner’s circle,’ McNamara said. ‘I thought I could’ve helped us, but after I got hit, I really couldn’t.’

The Orange could spread the ball around, receiving contributions from all the players on the floor. Instead of consistently looking for McNamara, the inexperienced Syracuse players had to rely on themselves.

Players who rarely see the floor made significant contributions in McNamara’s absence – most importantly, Josh Wright. The sophomore played a career-high 34 minutes. Freshman guard Andy Rautins also saw seven minutes of playing time, mostly as a quick substitute for forward Terrence Roberts late in the game.

‘This is a great lesson for all these guys,’ SU head coach Jim Boeheim said. ‘They can win without Gerry. It will help make them stronger. It gives us a chance to rest Gerry.’

Syracuse also had its most accurate game offensively since it shot 56 percent against Kent State on Dec. 30. The Orange shot 48.2 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

The Orange traditionally looks for McNamara to shoot when it needs a boost, often despite heavy defensive pressure on the senior. The result, at least this season, mostly has been numerous missed shots.

Without McNamara, SU needed to pass around and take good shots, regardless of who shot the ball. In the waning seconds of overtime, Syracuse found itself on top thanks to a 3-pointer from Roberts, a shot most likely reserved for McNamara had he been healthy.

‘Gerry went out, we were down five,’ Boeheim said. ‘He never came back. When you lose your best player without any practice time or anything, that’s a huge mountain to overcome.’

Published on February 1, 2006 at 12:00 pm